The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-12-23
A LILY or the FIELD.
A Sketch.


Flower City, beyond the indefnable
region where single plank walks melt
into foot-paths on the sod. The street
itself has become d roadway through
q field. On one side was an old apple
orchard; on the other an autumn
cornfLd, tented with brown shocks.
Not far from the roadway, or a hill
ock, stood the shanty which the Ru-
dolphs called their home. Low, square
and weather-stained, with broken
window-panes, and a rickety shed
sloping from the rear, its general ap-
pearance was dilapidated and forbid
ding.
Rudolph was ostensibly a peddler,
in reality a thief. Through the rich
farming region he made many trips
at night in a shaky old covered wagon,
drawn by an angular and spawned
horse. Many people had seen him
start on his excursions in the late
afternoon; lew had ever seen him
come home. For in the dark hours
OF the morning ne generally arrived at
the shed, and the load OF farm pro-
ducts in his wagon was out OF all pro-
portion to the amount of tinware and
other articles which he had bartered.
Mrs. Rudolph was ostensibly his
wife; in reality she had no right to the
title. They continued to live togeth-
er not because Of any affection for
their child or for each other. 1t SIM
ply seemed the easiest mode of exist
ence under the circumstances.
Mrs. Rudolph had a lover in q little
higher walk Of life. He robbed small
stores and aspired, in time, to be a
bank burglar. Mrs. Rudolph sympa-
thize5 wht hAfs aaeiratien She PCS
sessed something Of the spirit which
makes a French woman leader in a
salon and the adviser OF statesmen.
In her fondest dreams she saw the
rickety old house a rendezvous for a
w-eIl-organized band OF burglars Of
which her lover should be the chief
and she the inspiration. Together
they talked Q the plan during
Rudolph's nightly excursions. The
peddler hadno suspicion Of thelover's
existence or the woman's schemes.
He would have deliberately murdered
both Of them had he known these
things. They knew it, and just as
deliberately decided to kill him and
prevent any possible catastrophe
through an unfortunate discovery.
Thus late decreed that there should
be two murderers and one victim,
rather than one murderer with q
double crime to answer for. 1t would
be a fine problem in ralphilosophy
to calculate which would be the great
er crime.
It was a rainy night In October.
The storm was beating upon the
thiefs shanty, rafting the door on
its loose hinges, driving IN through the
broken PAGES, and Pickering the cam
die which stood on b deal table in the
centre OF the only room which the halt.
xotten walls enclosed. On one side OF
the table 3 Mrs. Rudolph; on the 9th.
en- the aspiring burglar, her lover. Now
and then he would resrh forward and
spread apart the wick OF the aickering
candle with the point OF long and
Misunderstanding knife WHICH he held
IA his hand. The flame would fare
up brightly for q few minutes. showing
mora distinctly the poverty and
Indebtedness OF the room. When the
wind died down for q time and the
flame burned steadily, the feir rosy
face Ola little girl, sleeping on q rude
bed, came beautifully out OF the semi
darkness framed in an eurecle Of gold
en- hair. The rain-drops, now and
then, dashed through the broken win.
dow near her bed, and warmed them'
selves upon her cheeks.
Just Is peacefully Two doves were
sleeping id their cage on the we'll, with
their heads tucked under their wings,
ID dingv frame hung 3 cheap and
gandy print-a rude ~portraiturs
Of th6 sstais stranger m q seamless
robe. with 0ntskrekched hands
blessing che Lilies Of the field. 0cca.
sionally through the hali-open door
leading into the shed could be heard
the sleepy chirping of the many species
offONI which the predatory pedaler
had collected 10 his nightly wander
inna. The little girls pet lamb, which
Rndolph usually fed on his retukn 10
fhf Nnpfv r4nFnfnr hnon4f Ia binat
Slowing that the night was Wearing
aNay.
ssJoe. said Che M.iayofsd woman,